Review by JD on January 11, 2014.

I remember reviewing Sleeper’s Guilt’s self-titled EP a while ago. I clearly remember not being so taken by them, and their sound. Combining too much keyboard use with a lack of heaviness – the results was underwhelming at best. With their newest release now ready for me to review we shall see if they have progressed in the way I heard underneath all of the fluff that was being presented.

This band from Luxemburg has gone through a bit of a change mainly with their style. The progressive metal is still there at times, but there is this explosion of heaviness that has been upped to a massive level while using the keyboards to the right effect without overloading like they had done on their EP. Now being sort of melodic death metal with shades of black and even thrash added in. The groove metal they had was long gone to an early grave. Tight and powerful, this band has found their niche.

Impressive is the CD’s starting track and the title of the album. Starting with haunting piano that spins an eerie aura, it soon falls into a breath-taking vortex of brutality of a mixture of Cradle Of Filth/Children Of Bodom style with near Death like vocals added in. Other tracks such as "Slave" and "Echoes Of My Silence" are such an advancement in their power and writing, showing off that un shown part of their explosiveness – but the title track still is the most powerful one on the album.

This was the album I suspected they could do, rather than the somewhat of a disappointed self-titled EP released a year or two ago. Sleeper’s Guilt now has found their sound, and now the world needs to hear it. I do not think they took my advice in the least. Metal evolution took care of that. The metal world never thought Darwin was talking about metal, perhaps he just saw into the future and never knew he was doing that for global metal.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 2, 2019.

...Boško Radišić (R.I.P.). He was the lead vocalist and main songwriter of Space Eater and this band carries the banner of speed / thrash metal through Serbia. The fact that Boško died at the age of 28 is a tragedy, no doubt at all. Aftershock has become his musical legacy, but regardless of the quality of the album, this is just a cold comfort. However, let's dive into this album. So much is revealed, it is worth the time.

Space Eater present the whole package. Absolutely nothing is missing, the songs boast with melody, speed, energy and force. Perhaps the mostly high-pitched vocals are not everybody's cup of tea, but they add the speed metal element and fit the old school approach of the songs very well. Space Eater are not here to be the most brutal speed / thrash band of all times, they have put the focus on smooth structures and the flow of the tracks deserves the listener's attention. The songs don't lack breaks and tempo variations, but all parts blend seamlessly with each other. One can discuss whether it was a good idea that the dudes recorded a track that exceeds the seven minutes mark, because "FAA" is at risk to derail during the long and somewhat tired instrumental part at the end. But experiments are not forbidden (as long as they do not gain the upper hand or result in lukewarm ballads), and Space Eater know very well how their music should sound. The production underlines this statement.

Aftershock glitters with a nearly perfect sound. It's warm, vigorous and robust, well-balanced and equipped with the necessary degree of sharpness. Even though Space Eater always keep an eye on a certain level of melodies, the guitars present cutting riffs and furious parts in abundance. I really like to experience that the band does not run out of breath. The riffs of tunes like "Quantum Leap" or "No Retreat" sound as lively as those of the first tracks. Boško masters all pitches and his vocals form a very smooth liaison with the contributions of his band mates. But don't jump to conclusions, the harmonic overall view and an appropriate amount of aggressiveness are not mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, and maybe due to the death of Boško, the last two songs present another vocalist. Luka "Tower" Matković, who is mainly responsible for the guitar, does a solid or even good job, however, it was the right decision that he let Radišić go ahead. His two songs have a little less charm than those from and with the original singer, because they are more violent than the first tracks. Normally, that's not bad, but here it changes the sound colour a little bit.

So if you like pretty catchy speed / thrash metal that combines vehemence and musicality in an almost flawless manner, Aftershock gives you exactly this kind of sweet-tasting poison. Ten songs, at least nine hits, what else do you want? Maybe a last point of reference - the wall crushing creature on the cover has obviously borrowed its enormous wings from the fighting angel of the first Angel Dust artwork. And I am sure, these two guys understand each other very well, in particular in terms of music. Enough said, enjoy Aftershock.

Rating: 9 out of 10